Misumena vatia
(Golden-rod Crab Spider)

Picture ID 70602

Comments & ID Thoughts

Pretty sure it is a yellow crab spider

Submitted by:
dalewayne
Submitted: Jul 7, 2019
Photographed: Jul 3, 2019
Spider: Misumena vatia (Golden-rod Crab Spider)
Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Spotted Outdoors: On Flower,Low foliage (shrubs, herbs, garden, excluding flowers)
Found in web?: No
Attributes: Dorsal

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dalewayne

Photo Owner

July 7, 2019 10:49 pm

This little spider has caught a bumble bee a day in my lavender.

TangledWeb

Moderator

Reply to dalewayne

July 8, 2019 1:34 am

That sounds like part of a children’s song. It is Misumena vatia, a Goldenrod Crab Spider. They can also be white with pink stripes. This is the first time I’ve seen that the marking on the face below the eyes matches the side stripes in the yellow coloration. It looks like the spider is making a creepy smile. The spider usually puts fangs into the other end of the bee. There are a couple of little flying insects on the bee’s head taking advantage of the situation too.

dalewayne

Photo Owner

Reply to TangledWeb

July 8, 2019 4:50 pm

Is he/her rare? I have never seen one in our yard and we have been here 20 years.

TangledWeb

Moderator

Reply to dalewayne

July 8, 2019 11:40 pm

No. These are more often white. Their hunting is based on camouflage, you and insects aren’t supposed to see them. They go to plants that have shapes and colors that are similar to their bodies. They are shaped like petals and small leaves. They pose their legs to match the linear flow of the setting. Lavender is an unusual choice, but it seems like the insects care more about the nectar than the big yellow thing sitting on it. Some Crab Spiders manipulate UV light to reflection on them to fool nocturnal insects also. That might be what the white… Read more »